A Williams Lake goaltender marched away from the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Kahnawake, Que. last week hoisting a title.
Matt Brenner, a netminder with the Williams Lake Midget Tier 2 Timberwolves, helped Team B.C. to a 5-1 record and a championship at the tournament.
B.C. scraped by Saskatchewan 5-4 to open the tournament April 30, before losing its only game the following day, 7-2, to the Eastern Door and North.
B.C. stormed back, with Brenner between the pipes, to shutout Team North 7-0 Wednesday afternoon. For his effort Brenner was named player of the game.
The B.C. boys continued to fly through the competition in the playoffs, skating to a 7-1 win over Team Atlantic, followed by a 4-3 win over Team Manitoba in the semis to setup a meeting with Team Ontario in the gold-medal game.
There B.C., on the strength of a hat-trick performance from Donovan Law, pulled off a 5-3 win to secure the championship.
Brenner — who was selected for the team during a tryout held in Williams Lake early April — said it was a fantastic opportunity to play in the tournament.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect [going in],” Brenner said. “It turned out to be physical, fast-paced hockey and it was an intense competition.”
He pointed to his club’s work ethic as the key to winning the championship.
“Our team battled hard throughout the tournament and we were rewarded for our hard work.”
Meanwhile Williams Lake’s Chantelle Beadman-Rolph — a player for the Prince George Major Midget Female Cougars during the regular season — was in action for the B.C. girls’ at the NAHC.
And while her club had a rougher time finding the win column, Beadman-Rolph’s play didn’t go unnoticed as she picked up player of the game recognition during B.C.’s first playoff loss to Saskatchewan.
Beadman-Rolph and Team B.C. needed a win Friday to stay alive against Team Atlantic but fell 6-2 to end their hopes of medalling in the tournament.
For a complete list of scores and statistics from the tournament visit www.albertanativehockey.com.
